May 1, 2011

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Bengals LB, Vincent Rey Interview

by Max Strauss

Vincent Rey played college football at Duke University. He totaled 330 tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries for TDs during his collegiate career. He entered the 2010 NFL Draft, but went undrafted. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and in 2011, he became a key player for their Special Teams unit. This interview was conducted before the 2012 NFL season.Download audio interview with Vincent Rey, click here.

Announcement : My name is Max Strauss with http://prointerviews.org/, http://facebook.com/ProInterviews/ and http://twitter.com/ProInterviews/. I’d like to welcome you to the interview with Vincent Rey. Rey attended Duke University and played throughout each year while he was there. He finished his collegiate career with 330 tackles and 28 tackles for a loss. He was nominated to second-team All ACC for his senior year. He entered the 2010 NFL Draft, but went undrafted. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and was on their practice squad for most of the season. Here is the interview with Vincent Rey and I hope you enjoy the collages also.

Strauss : How do you connect with your fans?

Rey : Facebook and twitter. I really don’t have many fans. I would say. I would like to say that’s how I connect with my friends or acquaintances. I would say I don’t have that many fans in general, but I connect to them through Facebook and Twitter. [Links above]

Strauss : What was your high school football experience like at Bayside?

Rey : It was a very good experience. I played on Varsity my sophomore, junior, and senior year. We went to the playoffs every year. I never won the championship, but we went to the playoffs every year, and we were a winning team there.

Strauss : Then, you did a post-graduate year at Mercersburg Academy [where I go], and what was it like to go to Mercersburg?

Rey : It was a different experience, but I still liked it. I met a lot of different people that I would not have come into contact with before, like people being from other parts of the country, other parts of the world. All in all, it was a good experience, mainly because we had a very good year in football. We were nine and one, and we won that MAPL League Championship.

Strauss : What was it like to win a championship in your high school football career?

Rey : Overall, it was like something that I’ve never done before, so being one of the guys that was a starter on the team, and one of the many playmakers… It was a surreal experience and something that I’ll never forget.

Strauss : What was the transition like from Mercersburg Academy to Duke?

Rey : Mercersburg helped me so much in my transition because at Mercersburg, at least when I was there, the schedule was blocked off. They gave you a schedule, and we basically knew when we had free time, which was some time between 8 and 3. It really helped me for the most part at Duke, playing football and attending school. It was kind of like two full-time jobs which is how I like to see it. It prepared me for that in terms of managing my time and getting things done and being very efficient.

Strauss : At Duke, did you have a close relationship with any particular guy on the football team or just in general?

Rey : Yeah, I did. The person I was closest to while I was at Duke was Abraham Kromah. We roomed together for three of my four years. One of the things that brought us together was the fact that we were both from the New York City area. We were the only two players from the New York City area on the team.

Strauss : What was your relationship with Vince Oghobaase? [Nose Tackle / Defensive Tackle for Duke who also went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft. He is currently with the Washington Redskins.]

Rey : We had a good relationship. We had to have a good relationship because he was playing in front of me and I had to make sure he would do his job and I would do my job. Because he was a defensive lineman, and I was a linebacker. We had a good relationship. That guy is a cool dude.

Strauss : Do you have a favorite memory from Duke?

Rey : My senior year… The previous two weeks we had beaten North Carolina State and Maryland. And, we were playing University of Virginia, and in the fourth quarter, they were driving on us. It was third down, and I dropped back in coverage, and the quarterback drops back, and one of our defensive linemen comes off the edge, sacks him, fumble, and then another guy comes and picks it up and runs it back for a touchdown. Even though, I wasn’t really involved in the play, but it was probably the best feeling I had while I was at Duke. We went on that game, which made it three in a row in terms of wins in the ACC which was a huge feat for us.

Strauss : Even though you were undrafted, what was your draft day experience like

Rey : Overall, it was a good experience. I was hoping to get drafted. I knew that it would be a long shot, but I still had a shot. Even though I didn’t get drafted, I was happy the Cincinnati Bengals felt that, I was a pretty good player to give me a free agent contract. I was happy for that, and I knew there were a lot of guys that wouldn’t have that, because not many were going around. I was happy, and afterwards, I went to Applebee’s with my friends.

Strauss : What was your first training camp like?

Rey : It was tough, man. It was physical. It was a lot of running. It was tough, but it was still fun, because I was participating in the NFL. Even though it was tough, it was a great experience.

Strauss : What was the preseason like for you?

Rey : Well, everyone plays four games, but we were selected to play in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, so we played a fifth game. It was a good experience in the preseason. I was able to get in during all five games. I played a little bit. It was good to be out there against other teams and just competing. Because that’s what I love to do, is compete and play hard. It was a fun time being out there.

Strauss : Take us through when you were activated onto the Bengals’ roster.

Rey : The first two weeks, week fourteen, they put me on the 53-man roster. I was on there for weeks fourteen and fifteen. Then, weeks sixteen and seventeen, they let me play. The first two weeks I didn’t play.

Strauss : What was it like to get your first tackle in the NFL?

Rey : It was like a breath of fresh air. Just to get him down. I was on punt, and we punted the ball, I was the personal protector, and I just ran and ran to the ball, and made sure I got him on the ground.

Strauss : Looking back on your career, who’s had the most impact on it?

Rey : My father. He’s always motivated me to be a better player.

Strauss : If you could describe yourself as any ice cream flavor, what would you be and why?

Strauss : Your work ethic is something that you’re known for, why do you think that is?

Rey : People always told me that if I work hard I can be a good player. That’s one. And two, I’ve always known that I wasn’t the most athletic guy, but hard work is something that is like the X-Factor. That’s how I feel. Working hard is something that not everyone is going to do. So, it’s something that can give you an edge.

Strauss : For someone who wants to play in the NFL, what’s the best advice you can give them?

Rey : Whatever level of football that they’re participating in, whether it’s high school or college, or pop-warner. I would tell them to listen to their coaches, and try to do exactly what their coaches tell them to do or as close to it because the coaches have their best interest in mind.

Strauss : Is there anything else you want to tell your fans from Duke days, fans in the NFL, or Bengals fans that we haven’t really discussed or talked about?

Rey : Two things, I’m a quiet dude. Two hobbies that I really enjoy are going to the movies and going bowling. Those are things that I really like to do, and I could do those things once a week.

Strauss : Thank you so much Vinny for taking the time, I really appreciate it.

Rey : Yeah. No problem. Thank you. I’m happy that we could finally get this done.

Rey : Oh man… My great grandfather. He had about thirty children and all his kids, my grandparents, great aunts, great uncles… they all look the same. I would like to meet him because he has pretty strong genes.

Strauss : What’s your favorite TV Show?

Rey : The Office.

Strauss : What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Rey : Oo. Oo. See, I love movies. I would have to say, The Lion King.

Strauss : What is your favorite type of pie?

Rey : Pie… Hm. Sweet potato pie.

Strauss : What would your last meal on Earth be?

Rey : Hmm. I would say, steak and some Macaroni and Cheese, and to drink, I would have Cranberry Juice.